Saudi Aramco has signed a contract with Saudi Archirodon Company and Huta Hegerfeld AG Saudia Company to develop King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services in Ras Al-Khair.

Ahmed Al-Sa’adi, senior vice president for technical services, Saudi Aramco, said: “It is an important milestone for King Salman International Complex for Maritime Industries and Services, the largest of its kind in the region. The complex is in line with the Kingdom’s economic diversification objectives; it will position the Kingdom as a strategic logistics hub and will create vast job opportunities.”

The contract is reportedly the first major undertaking for the maritime complex where contractors will conduct dredging and reclamation of approximately 37 million cubic metres of fill, in addition to ground improvement over an area of 7.4 million square metres.

According to Saudi Gazette, the initial phase of the contract will be completed by 2020.

The company said that the project will comply with all of the Saudi government’s environmental and sustainability requirements.